OT: Good thing that I never gave up and quit playing Mega Millions...
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The psychology that goes into playing these games amazes me. Don't get me wrong, I put down some cash on some tickets also, so I am not saying I am different or above it. But it gets to $800 million or a $1 billion, everyone plays. When it is $50 million, people, many people, ignore. $50 million (even after taxes and a cash payment which would be close to $20million take home) is a life changer for 99.9% of us, But we can't be bothered to play at that level.
THIS I could never figure out. I don’t play period. But I would actually rather win a few million than 800million or a billion which in my opinion would actually ruin my life as I know it.
I believe the psychology is - if you are lucky, you will only win the thing once in your life so you might as well win a giant one lol.
I'm the guy who plays once a year when it hits half a billion or whatever.
Reasons: it makes the news, otherwise I have no idea what the jackpot is as I dont pay attention
- I know I'm not going to win obviously so I'm not wasting my money on a $50 million lottery that I know I wont win. I'll waste it on the $500 million lottery or billion dollar lottery because it gives me a couple days of thinking what sports team I'll buy and other stuff like that. For $50 million, $30 million after taxes, yea, I can get a $5 or $6 million house and live of a life of leisure and create generational wealth but still be somewhat limited. Cant buy the yacht. Cant buy the sports team, etc.
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Yes, I get that's it. But I also say I want to be the guy to win $10 million when someone else is winning $500 million to stay out of the press. Being famous is way overrated.
That’s definitely part of the rub. Ideally I’d want to win whatever amount that would allow me to still be an anonymous schlub.
However if my choice was last night’s jackpot or nothing, we’ll…let’s just say I’ll take my chances. And I’m sure everyone would.
I’m not naive or stupid enough to think not a ton would change, but I’m fairly grounded and I have no problem saying no. While it would be challenging at times I’m sure, I’m pretty confident after the initial wave of whatever comes I’d be ok on the other side of that.
In Ohio you can form an anonymous trust. That would be the way to go. I love people who say "not much would change". I am sorry, you have $400 million in cash, yes things will change.
I know a guy who won I think it was a $300 million jackpot (Pitt grad) and before he came forward, he put in some really high security system and obviously hired a legal and financial team to prepare. But he still had to move.
But if I would have won, he would have been one of the first people I would have contacted to ask for advice.
Nah, I'll take the half billion, $300 million after taxes. At this point, instead of SMF Stadium, I'd probably tell Pitt, get into a P2 league and I'll give you $150 million. I wouldn't want to spend that money if we're back in the Big East. Maybe I'd give it to basketball since that's a sport where the lower schools can still win. Heck, maybe I'd just buy the best recruits and transfers for a couple years and try to win a natty. If I had $300 million, would $100 million be worth it to watch Pitt hoops win a natty? Probably.
You could make Victory Heights a reality with your generosity...
I'd pay them to cease and desist and earmark all that money to football and basketball. All these rich guys now, its probably just better to pay the players directly. That's probably what I'd do.
What if, in exchange for your generous donation to fund and complete Victory Heights, Pitt agrees to allow you to use the Pitt Studios at The Pete at no charge for your SNF Network?
If you live in a state like PA where it is required by law for them to release your name and where you are from, before you cash in the ticket you need to find a way to go into hiding for a few weeks/months, until you are no longer the flavor of the day and for the most part people will leave you alone. And of course unless you already live in a high income, high security neighborhood you should plan on finding someplace else to live.
Which, given all the money you have, should be pretty easy.
Because your chances of winning the Mega Millions is in the neighborhood of 300 million to 1. So it clearly makes more sense to buy a ticket when you can win, pick a number, $400 million at 300 million to 1 than it does to try to win $50 million at 300 million to 1.
Which are you more likely to do, bet $5 to win $5 on a 50-50 coin flip or bet $5 to win $5 that you can correctly pick the number on the roll of a die? It's the same concept writ large.
How much of a federal tax windfall was this mega millions? 300 million? In a sense, Zalensky won the mega millions jackpot.
Well remember, the cash payout is about 62% of the total value if you would take the annuity (full value). So that shrinks it right off the bat. The government is not getting $800 million in revenue.
Government wins!
I remember when the lottery was relatively new and I only played when it was a big jackpot so I was a true novice about it all. Well, I finally had a winning ticket that had four numbers.
Four numbers, that's got to be double digit thousands! I lost sleep thinking how to spend that $10,000 +. When I went to cash the ticket, $28. Was much easier figuring out how to spend that. Lol.
Four numbers, that's got to be double digit thousands! I lost sleep thinking how to spend that $10,000 +. When I went to cash the ticket, $28. Was much easier figuring out how to spend that. Lol.
I will admit in one of these jackpots when I lived in Morgantown, the winner was in Morgantown and I played. And I started checking my numbers....and OH MY GOD......they are matching!! Matching! It was like a $100 million jackpot. I started to hyperventilate....then I didn't have the Mega ball or the one number, but I did have 4, and played the multiplier so I won $500.
pittdan77
Athletic Director
I think most Americans would agree that they'd rather have their money go to fight the worst human since Hitler, the first European to invade another nation since Hitler than other wars we've spent our money on. For anyone out there that still believes in Western-style democracy (and unfortunately, it appears a good portion of Americans do not), this is the right thing to do. This is a fight against a ruthless dictator.
Well I think "worst human since Hitler" title would likely go to any ruling member of the Kim Jong family of North Korea.
But since you brought it up, there is a really good message here. The younger Russian generations, ie those who did not live or weren't old enough to remember life behind the Iron Curtain, are being sold a bill of goods. They are romanticizing the Soviet Union's power and "greatness" in its standing in the world. But it was anything but great for its own people.
Let's look at our society and these younger generations with their "OK Boomer" attitude and condescending attitudes to anyone over 50. There is wisdom that comes with experience. And when you discount history because it doesn't fit a narrative, you are doomed to repeat its failures or at least go in a direction that leads you to what has not worked.
That is what Russia is doing. China 10 years ago was fastly becoming a more open society and China now is China 25 years ago and closing. It is regressing under its totalitarian regime with Xi seeking past "greatness" too. This is what happens when you rely mostly on the government for the solutions to all your problems.
Fake news.
The 1.28 billion (and always the announced amount) is if you take it over 30 years. If you want it all up front, you get much less. The winner probably the 1 time payment of around $700 million with the government getting 37% of that.
so the govt-IRS will only get about 500M instead. ok, my mistake. if i didnt know any better, i'd think these lotteries are just tax collection scams by the govt-state. Those damn italian mafia guys had a nice thing going til the feds and state took it over.
“The lottery benefits senior citizens”
yeah ok.
and state governments allow gambling and casinos. Why? To take money out of grandmas pocket via a slot machine that was already taxed before she got it.
